Bangor Public Library Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl

Books and Publications Special Collections

1949 The rT aveler: Two Decades: Random Notes Myron Haliburton Avery

Follow this and additional works at: https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubs

Recommended Citation Avery, Myron Haliburton, "The rT aveler: Two Decades: Random Notes" (1949). Books and Publications. 134. https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubs/134

This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections at Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books and Publications by an authorized administrator of Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Traveler Two Decodes-

'- RANDOM NOTES by

Myron H. Avery

Reprinted from THE LEWISTON JOURNAL MAGAZINE \ ,•--.._ , '. L~-wi~t-:>11 -Mllh'!e : '' ~ J ~ .. : ~ f ~ ,' ) , "' . ~ } .... or-"' . ~ . ;: Apf. i: 2. ~ on~ 9, , l94~ 9 -..

~ ~ ) ., ...... It " · ') l ...... ,"' ~ : .. . o .. -~ ., .. "o •11 ! o o •

...... , ... ,., A ~ Q ~~ "o• ·,., ~ ... c .., .. ~ ,., f> ., .. ' f' .. "' "' :" - .., .. " .. • ., ~ 'll

... .., "'~ ~"' r ;:~ ,-·-\ ~ ~; \~~u~C:( by The Moine Appoloehion Trail Club, Inc. 1949 lhls ~~rticle appeared In h Lew!:Af ~r~l 11af:ZiQ9 in two sec- tions. U'\der the dates end ciPfions "' e noes 121~en below.

April 2. THE KATAHDINAUGUOH AND ITS REIGNING HONAROi, THE TRAVELER

'Maine is a vast State, compared to its .~w England neigh· bort~ . And, in comparison with many States of greater territory, it has long stretches a! wilderness country. Those who have been to: Katahdin want to go again. Those WhQ haven't been often express a longing to get at least a. glimpse of that section. But even most of those who havP- been t.lcar or on Katahdin know no mote about the country to its north than they could gain from their summit viewpoint. An exception is Myron H. Avery, captain, USNR, a Lubee 'fl,ative who is the State's leading authority on Katahdin and its environs and who has been a prolific writer on the subject. Herewith is the first of two arti!"les by Capt. A very which he entitles '"rhe Traveler, Two Decades-Random Notes."

April 9· MAGNIFICENT SCENERY GREETS 11 THE TRA\£LER11 REGION EXPLORER

This is the second and concluding pa:ut of an article by Myron H. Avery of Lubec, Captain, U. S. N. R., which he has titled "The Traveler-Two Decades, Random Notes." Capt. Avery has familiarized himself with the Katahdii). area. While doing this, he has done much exploring in its environs. Principally through his interest and energy, the various organizations which maintain the. 4pp,alachian Trail from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Mt. Oglethorpe in Ge.orgia are kept on thej,r toea to handle the monumental task of tr.ail cleara:n:ce,

blazing1 signing, and lean-to repair. 'l'he Appalachian Trail Conference has an extens~ve library of slides and photographs and the accompanyii)g illustrations ai:e supplied by cOl(rt~y ;~f"~~ : ~·o.t_l~ete~ c ~'.NJ;o~i:~i?e by the Na­ tional Park Servic€. : · ... · • " -- · ; ' : · · ·• •... : As in the trail guide "Q~ok te~t; :C~pt i 4Y.i;ry in his numer.. ous artrcles on one section ·or · ~tn6thir ' ·of Maine, has been & stickler for detail ii'nd 'a

Copyriiht, 1949, by The Maine Appalachian Trail Club, Jnc., AuQusta, Maine. and wash ineton, o.c. THE TRAVELER

Recently there has bee!). n'l\lnifested of the nondescriptive "Traveler P.n increasfng interest in the moun­ Mountain". ''Guide to The ApJ?a1a. t r..i n.~ J~rth: of Katahdin. The focus­ chian Trail in Maine" preserves the ing of interest in the K atahdinauguoh century-old nomenclature. (th e Indian name of the mountains Except for the State Geological r:orth of Katahdin) is a very natural Survey activities, the record i>f The consequence of the diminishing in­ Traveler is barren until 1883. George accessibility and wildness of the H. Witherle of Castine, of unequaled Katahdin region. A focal point in thorough exploration of the Katah· this trend away from Katahdin is lin region in its primitive Wilder­ the area to its north, particularly The ness aspect, ascended in that (Year Traveler, with the superbly located the mountain (1) from above Grand South Branch Ponds. With the ef­ Falls on the Penobscot East Branch. .f',;sive reports of excursions to the This side of The Traveler has not. ~rea, it seems quite in order at this been frequented The topography to time to coordinate and set in proper the east and the fiat basin lands of t;'"!quence ,the history of The Trav­ the Penobscot East Branch remain an l,)'!.er. ~fhe purpose here is to record, objective for exploration. Some for the be!;e&t of t4ose who fre· future climber will no doubt rlis· (,[uent the area, · what e~ists in the cover again Witherle's Horseshoe way of literature, reports of pre­ Pond. Of particular interest is With• vious visits, nomenclature and items erie's description of the appearance, of particular int11rest. from The Traveler, of the' "singulat TQ . some extent this note is nec· 'Fort Mountain'- elevation." Thus essarily personal. .MY excursi,ons to Witherle anticipated the nomen• the area have been separately de· clature action which has resulted iu tailed in various items listed in th~ affixing this name. bibliography at the end of this, note; As might be anticipated, the next Familiarity with The TravelE{I! r~­ written record is of a scientific visit gion, which dates back to 1921; was to The Traveler. In 1910, Dr. Cush­ "n incident in a series of planned man and the R~v. C. B. Ames col·, E:xcursions which, over ·a period of lected there about two 'thousand sp& three years, led to the summit of cies of plants. Theo'Tecord is regret­ all of the :1umetous peaks of the ably barren of the details of the ex­ Katahdin area, save only Center and cursiun. (2) Strickland Mountains. These peaks Thorea.u's· Tribute ~re somewhat set apart, and as to Perhaps the outstanding Ht~rary them, it was always the story of an· tribute to The. Traveler is that of other year, or perhaps the· pleasing Henry David Thoreau, whose ac;, thought of something remaining un· counts of Katahdin, of the Allagash finished-something still to be done. and of the Penobscot East Branch . From "these trips, maps of The are classics of Maine. One who has 'l'ray:e'ler region, the detailed riarra· journeyed down the Penobscot East t.\ves, :'and· data· recorde.d. 'in "Gllide Branch can appreciate that Thoreau to The Appalachian Trail -in''M~'la " would leave some record of the im­ are the tangible benefits p a s~ c.'Cl ' on pressiveness of these peaks, which to others with a kindred interest. loom up so vividly over the flat First Record In 1883 lands to the south. In 1837, when First, the name is "The Traveler", his canoe glided out onto the broad and not the nondescript "Traveler waters of the "Matangamooksis" or • Mountain". To early voyageurs on S econd Grand or Matagamon Lake, the Penobscot East Branch, the as it is known tod~horeau wrote mountain was -a familiar landmark. that his Indian guide, ·Joe Polis, To these voyageurs it seemed that could not be unmoved by the scene. the mountain traveled with them. As early as 1837 this impression was He said: "The very sight of the recorded by State Geologist C. T. Nerlumskeechticook or Deadwater Jackson, who spoke of it in the plu­ Mountains, a day'$ jQurney off -- over ral as ''The Travelers". The State Geological .Survey party of l8ill, under C. H. Hitchcock, howe'v.er, (1)-"Excurslons North ot Ka­ designated it iP the singular as '111l_e tahdin." "Appalachia.," vol. 3, no. 3, i>eeember, 1883, pp. 223-231, Traveler". This significant name, (2) "The Boston Society of ••The Traveler", based on historical Natura.! History Bulletin," No. r~ord. would be lost through usage 13, October, 191j). the forest, as we first saw the!n_ :a:&tahdin. Draper's Packno.rse Trail, must awaken in him pieasant mem­ the initial route to Pogy from Wassa­ ories." taquoik Stream, was supersed!\d by This term, the Deadwater Moun­ the tote-road trending west arid then tains, would be a pleasing noniencla• south up Trout and Hathorn Brooks. ture for this ~;roup north of Katah• This is the obscure route, today, for din. Mrs. Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, travelers bound to ·Katahdin from noted Maine authority,·has, however, the Penobscot East· Branch. indicated the error in the Indian Then in 1916 ciune the disastrous term ·of "Nerlumskeechticook," Pogy Mountain fi~. Lumber opera­ which Thoreau understood to mean tions were suspen'aed. For the next "The Deadwater Mountains." Thus, decade the country north of Katah.· there vanishes the only suggested din. reverfed-;to.. tb.e \Vilderness. Na· Indian term for the range. lt is in· ture struggled to undo- tN! ravages .comprehensible, however, that such of man's carelessness. .a striking landmark did not have a Like Thoreau-but some 80 years very specific Indian designation but later-my first view of The Traveler .a quest of the records .of early was aver the placid reacbes of "Ma· fravels and maps has d~sclo;>':d noth· tl\ngamooksi.s" Lake. Thoreau had mg beyond Thoreau's mqmnes. (3), jo'urneyed there bY canoe toward C;omment as to what may be the southeast. My route was novel gleaned from the early maps of The and a long journey bY trail. It be­ Traveler should be a part of this gan at Haymock Lake, a tributary resume. of Eagle Lake on the famous Alla­ As at Katahdin, with respect to the gash c11noe route. Monument Line Survey, the records Our intended course had been to of the Maine Land Agent contain reach the Penobscot East Branch by much of .interest. The· earlieSt rep­ tollowing the old Eagle ·Lake 'Tote­ resentation is ·"A Plan ot the part road. This, from time immemorial, of the State of Maine which was was a lumberman's route to central explored from Mars Hill to the Sebois Maine. Thoreau mentions · tb.e. ,road in 1825 by Geo. W. Coffin and Dan'l as in existence in 1857. With ·the Rose, and from the Sebois to the head suspension of its use in lumber op­ of the northeast Branch of Penob· erations after 1916, it had become scot River by Daniel Rose in 1829." less conspicuous. Here the mountaill$ north of Katah­ Except for the existence of blazes din arc marked "Wi.satiquoik Mtns." at de.tours and diverging wood roads, Grand Lake is; '-MeJtiug-·armo Lake:" placed there by· patrolmen of the The Traveler i.s that mo1.1ntain. Trout J.VIaine· Forest Service who knew of Brook is well defined. otir anticipated journey, we might An interim map records a curious have spent much time in seeking variation in nomenclature.. By the out the course of this old road. Maps time when :ffiinry David Thereau of the region for trail travel were journeyed · by canoe through the non-existent. Maine wilderness, "The Travelers" At length Trout Brook Farm was had become "Carbuncle Mtn.'' If the reached. This hostelcy, a lumber­ record of Colton's Railroad and man's center, a · short distance back Township Map of Maine preserves from the banks of Grand Lake, has any contemporaneous usage, the sim­ survived three fires. It was then ilarity to the Indian legend of the accessible only b,y the tote-road White Mountains, which Hawthorne :from Patten to Matagamon, the used in his story; "The Great Car­ sporting camp on the north shore of buncle," suggests a curious trans• the ·lake, and then by boat and tote· position. road. It was a two or three day Reverts to WUderne!HJ journey from the nearest town •to My initial visit to The Traveler oc­ the east. Since 1944, it is a matter curred at the turn of the era; From -of an automobile road ot only some 1910 to 1914, as told in "The Story of 35 miles. the Wassataquoik" (4) this region Based At The "Crossing" was one of intensive lumbering ac­ tivity under the direction of Edward Our objective, in 1927, was The l3· Draper. Primeval timber was be• Traveler. Like all good voyageurs mg harvested on the Pogys; a sluice we were at pains to survey the route: dropped logs into Wassataquoik l 'his we accomplished by a short I,ake as did the sl).liceat lJ:'ip. Top on climb to the crest. of Matagamon or Horse Mountain, the cliffs of which rise so abruptly frcm Grand Lake. (3) "The Maine Naturalist," There has been a fire tower on Mata• SeptemberJ. 1.929, V!)l. 9, no. a.._ gamon since 1913. '{!I) "The Maine NatUralist," :r'here on duty, in 1927, was Joe S~ptemper, ~92t, vol. 9, no. 3. Mitchell. father of Chief Fire Warden THE TRAVELER FROM KATAHDIN LAKE-The photo was taken with camera pomting i;lightly west of north with The Traveler in far center and a shoulder of East Turner Mountain et left. Katahdin Lake is in T3 R8 WELS, Penobscot CO\Ulty. It has an area oil.02 sq. m., ~ J.-6 m. Ion~:, a.nd has an elev.atioo of 1,022 a. Jolin Mitchell of Patten. We drew· "From the summit we dropped from Mitchell his knowleag':l of North north and then west into the sag of 'Traveler where he had lumbered, of the virgin spruce. This trllct whose the ilams he had built on nearby superb inaccessibility has so far won lakes and of the mile-long trestle on for it immunity from the logger's Beetle Mountain. Particularly were axE! is. said to contain 6,000,000 board we impressed with Mitchell's de­ feet.. This is probably an over en­ scription of the inaccessible huge thusia9tic estimate but I should not_ patch of virgin timber high !n. a argue the question that there are ravine between two enormous spurs 6,000 moose and deer tracks in thit of The Traveler. stand. There was then no lumbering "The east and west ridge, north of activity in the area and the reforesta­ Dry Brook, comes into a l!llg of the tion following the Pogy fire . had main axis north ot the main peak. ceased. We followed the deserted This ridge ha& as its cuiminating Trout Brook Tote-road west some point the north peak, very nearly as four· miles· to the "Crossing." Here high as the main peak of The Trav­ South Branch Ponds Brook joins eler. We called this ndge, up which Trout Brook. This is a land all laid we had -come, the Center Ridge.1The waste, only "popple" and birch-the traveling on this North Ridge is in­ aftermath of all fires. describably bad. It is _simply a mass The1 "Crossing" was our campsite of blown-over fire-killed trees,. a and base ~or the climb of The tarigled pile of jack-straws. For much Traveler. Our intended route was a of the distance we literally walked circle which would skirt the Ponds from tree trunk to tree trunk. and tz:averse the two most prominent "It was dusk when: we raced' down westward-projecting ridges. This over the last cliff on_this ridge and course would lead across the sum­ once more reacJ-.\:cl the shore of the mit and afford the best impression pond. Thanks to Suck's skill in find­ ot the region,_ From the "Cro~i,ng." ing his way in the dark, through the we followed t _he. then ooscure tote­ deceptive poplar and birch second road to the outlet of the Ponds, growth, we reached our tents and skirted the east Shore of the loW'el' food at our camp on the "Crossing", pond and .crossed the flat delta. '9f Mahar's Knowledre a Help Pry (Howe) Brook. Here we noted .We were particularly. irnpre~d the attractive waterfall and basil;l by· the abrupt west end. the-North about a quarter of a mile up from ot the shorE~. Beyond, a sort of trail Traveler· Ridge, by the game ·trails, led to a hunter's lean-to near the and by the numerous logs split· open lower end of southern pond. We by .bears in search of food. Th:S turned,left, however, and commenc­ trip afforded a circuit of the bulk ed ·to climb what we termed, from of the mountain. We were thus able· its physical location, "Center Ridge". to :form an estimate of the char­ To the left was the ravine of Dry acter of. the range as far south as Brook. It was a short climb through the peak termed South Traveler. sparse timber to open rocks on Cen­ Another year we would iraverse The Traveler by its long axis. ter Ridge. As a record of what we From the "Crossing'' we continued! observed, I ::~uote from the 1928 "In up the 'old Trout Brook Tote-road­ the Maine Wi-ods:" a route to Katahdht later traversed "From the first bare top which we by the measuring wheel and describ-. climbed on this west ridge we saw ed in "Guide to The Appalachian why there are two South Branch Trail in· Maine." Ponds connected by a thoroughfare I have said that our trip coincid­ instead of only one ponci. Dry Brook ed- with the first reopening of the has pushed its delta almost across region, following the suspension of to the cliffs of Black Cat Mountain, activities after the diSastrous Pogy (5) chocking and dividing into two fire. At the camp, which served ponds what had originally been a the tirewardens on Burnt Mountaiil, long rectangular shaped pond, per­ Where a fire tower was erected in haps a glacial trough. On the west 1924, began the association with v~t­ end of the spur by which we ascend­ eran woodsman and guide Charlie ed we saw examples of the rock Mahar, whose knowledge.of the area creep described on Katahdin by the was to contribute So much to our· well-known Maine geologist, Prof. efforts to make an accurate t:ecord Edward S. C. Smith of Union Col­ ot these outlying peaks of the Ka­ lege. tahdinauguoh. Beyond, the route up Hathorn Brook and over the Pogys had ·been reopened that year by an (5) South Bra.tt~m Pond Moun• enterprising Forest Service patrol­ ~ains. man. FreP. Walker. .N7 if. \'\

v;.s

.JY:t .N"4

\ ... ' ~.It ,...... ,.-~~ , ~ /"-'' - ~ ; 'I ~- k' .,.~ r /-:-/. · (!-'A .· ~' - . ; f<

TH»TRAVELERMO'UNTAIN AREA ON 1833 MA.P-,Remark­ able for its e:;rtr~e accuracy is t~e plan of .townships as sur­ veyed by· z~ Bradley and Edwin ROse in l 833. The accuracy .of this century-old plan IS such it' seems worthwhile to reproduce the section between Trout Stream, Wassataquoik Stream,. and the East Branch of -the P~nobscot River. Those, who know the r~gion~can identify the principal peaks and spurs. At- the right are Townships 4 to 7 in Range 8, West of 'the Ea~t •L.ine of the State.. They are in Pem~bscot County. ln ·the center range (No .. 9) the large mountain at the east sid· e: .~1"p. 5 is The Traveler. Billfish is in the upper right corne~ or the same townfi!llip and~ north of it, in Tp. 6, is Mattagamon (or Hoiorne perspective quoik Stream to 'the south base of although not with the · accuracy Bald Mountain in a day- a journey which an engineer would require. There remained two major prob­ .also attended with some consider- lems: What was the height of The 9.ble difficulty. Since. the detailed Traveler_? It was then reputed to be record of this journey appeared in the second highest in Maine and only slightly lower than Katahdin. the now unavailable "Maine Natur­ Also, what was the topography be­ alist,!' it seems desirable to rep~t tween .Wassataquoik Stream and the record here. The Traveler? "We left our Old City camp at A1j to the latter, we had SQrne vague information. The Wassata­ l>:50 A.M. on Monday, going north quoik, after two decades of disuse,. through, a 'popple' growth to the was again becoming known. Fish· base of the cliffs on Sable, reaching eflllen, who found _their way up the summit at 7:30 A.M. The. barom­ Wassataquoik Stream to Russell Pond and the · beaver ponds; so eter indicated an elevation of 1680 numerous in the area, brought back Seet. We desoended into a slight stories of fabulous fishing. In 1924 valley, going bY a beaver flowage came into the region W. F. Tracey, of the Traceys who opened the which drained to the east, and then Wassataquoik to · spruce logging in climbed to the summit of South 1884, a memorial to which is carv­ Traveler through a 'popple' growth, ed on ari enormous boulder in Was• sataquoik St:::eam beside the tote• much obstructed by fire-killed trees. road. • Tracey· then built the first South Traveler affords an expansive camp in a development-which came outlook. At :its eastern end is the to be known ;as the Russell Pond bel!utiful Traveler Pond. The sum• Ca~. ~·or many_ years, from McDoriald"it mit is bare, _quite flat, and does not ~.A Camps on the Pen?bscot give any indication of the steep_ de­ l!:as.t:· :Branch. tQ..ere,.was a. s.ort · of .scent -into The Traveler G!lP alld. the. ;

SPECTACULAR PISCATAOUIS CO. VIEW-Looking south over Upper South Branch Pond in Township 5 Range 9, West of the l!Jast Line of the State, Piscaiaquls County. Tlns 1s one of the outstanding beauty spots of the Maine woods. To the left are spurs of The Traveler, Ce1der. and Pinnade .Ridges, nspee.tively,

SOt1Tll BRANCH POND-Long. renowned for their isolation, these ponds- :a.re now much more accessible. · They he between ThP. 'l'r~We}er and ::>outlt Branch Mountains in the region to th~ : north of Katahflin. The narrow thoroughfare between the two South Branch Ponds has been almost obliterated. oY, the wash from a ravine on The Traveler In the far background are Turner, left, and Katahdin, right. Photo Copyright 1928 by Prof. EdwardS. C. SllJith, Union Coliege, i:3chene'etady, N. Y.

At the right are sPurs of The Traveler. The photograph, copyright by Mward S. C. Smith, is used bv

SPECTACULAR PISOATAOUIS CO. VIEW-Looking south over Upper The narrow thoroughfare between the two South Branch Ponds has been South Branch Pond in TD'Wnship 5 :Range 9, West of the Bast Line of the State, almost obllterated bY. the wash from a ravine on The Traveler Piscataqms County. In the fa.r background are Turner, left, and Katahdin, right. Tins 1s one of the outstanding beauty spots of the Maine woods. To the left Photo Copyright 1928 by Prof. Edward S. C. Smith, are spurs of The Traveler, Cen.ter. and Pinnade Ridges, nspee.tively, Union doliege, >:3chene'ctady, N. Y.

SOUTH BRANCH POND-Long_ renowned for their isolation, these pond~ At the rig_ht are spurs of The Traveler. The photograph, copyright by ,are now much mQre accessible. · They lle between The 'l'raNeler and l:;;out.lt EdwardS. 0. Smit.h. is used bv d_escribed l:!y C. "f. Jackson in ered. The reading at the summit 1837. Through it runs the trail from was '3340 feet. Undoubtedly the dis­ McDonald's Camps on the PenobscOt tinction must · fall to Old Si;>eck, in East Branch to the head ol. the Up· Grafton Notch, for which an ele­ per ~outh Branch Pond. Vfttion of 4700 feet is clalmf'd, or to ''The fire-killed timber in the thi.ck Saddleback with 4456. 'popple" growth adds to the difficUl­ (Ed. Note-Surveys show Old ty of the :steep ascent to the first Speck third at 4,180 feet. Sugarloaf second at 5,240, and many others rocky summit vn The Traveler. above the 3,400 f90t ll)llrk) There is a slight wooded depression "Sable MOu.ntain i~ co~posed of before the ne~~:t summit ancl the route granite; So~th Traveler and the leads over two other summits to the rest of th'e Dead-Water Mountains cairn on the'highest peak. From here are" r;hyolite. Somewhere in the gap there·is ,.a splendid outlook over the between Sa_~ and South Traveler pond-strewn East Bra,nch valley and· is the contact oi tnese two rocks, down Pogy Notch to Katahdin. J>ogy which owe their difference to the No.tch· is the flat valley, west of The fact that the granite cooled beneath Traveler, which runs· from the South the surface while the rpyolite flow· Bra~ch of the Wassataquoik. Its ed to the t-op. western bounda~ is formed b7 the ".Two y~rs ago Henx-y Buck and two pe~ of the.' ~uth Branch l came t'&. the South Branch Pc:mds, Mountains and to the south bv the ascended The Traveler by way of Pogys. - the Center Ridge and descended ·"B.etween the ~~th,Bl'anch Moun .. over the North Ridge. I think that ta.ins ~ the Pogys, for a distance ot th)ll route up the Center Ridge not about two mll~s, . this western ram.. druy has the most gradual ascent but is thE;, most free from fire-killed part is slii~tly Jower.. ·pn itrl sUIJUPit, timber, which forms such an effect· glistening in -its &ettfng of d~~ ive barricade against - the would­ Sl)ruce, is Mahar Pond, Half a ~~ · ~- climber. to the aouth is a deep pm, extending '-i'From the main peak we followed th~ ridge in a C\ll'Ving course, first from th~ plateau doWn into Fogy to th~ . north and then to . the west, Notch. This is Drr. GoJ:ge, wl)ich through'. the virgin spruce tract ~s­ contains. a series of terraced. beav~ timated to contain 6,000,000 board feet of lumber, out on .the North ponds. About half' a mile still farther Ridge of the Traveler. At the base &Outh ap.d lying iJ1 a sort of amphi­ of the high North Peak we stopped theatre . on the northeast corner of· and surveyed· the ·situa¥on. ~ere we ~ Pogy, we noticed a small pond. sl;tould leave The Traveler and turn north to continue our route ov·~r ThiS w:is ~ot indicated- on the 'mapi the Dead-Water Mountains." , and we had not previously known of The "longitudinal" ti~ of The its-existence. Traveler had consumed ten hours, .. There is a cairn 'on ihe highest from 6:00 A.M., of most difficult dry travelin~. Our camp on the peak: of The Traveler. In 1883, G. H. shelf over-looking the moonlight­ Witherle. had ·fourid there a 'momu• bathed Penobscot East Branch val•. ment of rough stones, supporting a ley below, beside two dE~eP pools in the eastward flowing brook, was lhort jtaff, very mossy.' Witherle also one of ·those campsites never to be mote that he had been 'unable . to forgotten. learn Of any person who had pre­ Our barometric elevation experi­ 'tio~ ~ .._ -,sce!K, although it ments ha~ a promising beginninl!'. Wh~l) W.t: l~t -Old City CampJr~und,_ A VIEW AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY -This is the earliest known p_hoto of The Trav. eler, taken at the Bell Camp on the Swlth Branch of the Wassataquoik about 1900ll.by Dr. Lore A. Rogers. South Traveler is in 'thE. IOI)&;grou na ~. ' North Peak at the left. ' LOOKING SOUTH FROM THE FIRE TOWER ON MATT AGAMON (MATAGAMON OR HORSE) MOUNTAIN-In the central middle ground is Bald Mountain. The Traveler and its north ridge are in the background. The pHoto is from a series 0£ 180 by the National Park Service. we had an exact eleva~ion from the U. S. Geological Survey Katahdin erfall. V#hat iii its locauon? Baxter Quadrangle. As we were able to State Park Supervisor, now J,.ieuten­ reach the main peak within seven ant, Harold J. Dyer has established hours, we had thought that the er· the locality of this waterfall a&-fol• ror would be inconsiderable. When lows: we returned to base, we found the "I stumbled onto the falls and cas­ barometer entirely_ out of order. cades on the center, branch of Howe This was our consolation· for the Brook, .the branch which originate& low reading of 3,340 fe.et. I have no' m the patch of virgin timber on the known of any repetition of. this ex­ west side -.of the saddle between perill'l:ent. Due to .the dtfficulty of Traveler Peak and .the North Ridge. obtaining an accurate reading for The falls are about ~00 to 300 yards the base, few parties wottld have below the virgin growth. We hit the the advantage for a similar experi­ falls ryn the climb up, and heard the ment which our route afforded. waterfall, as we went out on Pinnacle During the years which followed, Ridge on the way down." in the survey of Maine, I asked Then, ~oo. the :relationship be· Geological Survey parties to take tween the ·curiously-shaped Barrell every opportunity to obtain readings Ridge and Little Peaked. Mountain o:f vertical angles, as was done with was a matter of speculation. Baxter f)ld Speck. Baxter State Park Supervisor Har• old J. Dyer: Continued Exploratlott "Iri 1941, about the middle of Fr~ our circuit of The Traveler March, I made a Winter check of we :returned to South Branch Ponds, moose yarding conditions on Traveler and camped at the abandoned Mc­ whicii took me up Howe Brook to Donald's Campsite, then in ruins. the s11ddle. between Traveler Peak To complete the exploration, we and finhacle Ridgt-. Here in this sad· crossed Pogy Notch, climbed South .dle we startlld a big bull moose, and .Branch Mountains, past MahavPond farther along hit evidence of three and the series of terraced beaver other moose traveling about the ponds, going ·west as far as Me­ virgin timber which is just west of Catty Camp on Trout Brook. the Saddle between Traveler Peak The narrative of our climbs of the and the North Ridge. "The re.markable feature of th4! remaining peaks of the Deadwater trip, which started from the State Mountains, Bald Mountain, the 1\U:d· Warden's Camp, the outlet of the dle and West Peaks of Billfish arid lower South Branch Pond, was our some account of the ponds in the ascent to the summit · with -our area was set forth in detail in The snowshoes tied to our packs. We Maine Naturalist. (6) These peaks' had the blessings of a previous ·days })ave much of interest and, with the thaw followed by a hard freeze that increased travel to this area, per­ night which enabled us to tra:vei haps some future issue of .Appalachia until noon on the frozen S(Urlace of will repx:int what we learned and the snow. The moose were also able recorded of this" region some twenty to travel easily On this heavy crust. years ago. Pinnacle Ridge, Little "The trip included a ein:uit of the Peaked and Bald Mountain, together North ~dge, checking the virgin with the exact number of peaks to timber to the north of North Trav­ the I).Orth, appeared -on the Katahdin eler, and .then returning almost Region Map after thi:t trip. directly to the camp at South Branch There is stlll unanswered a ques· Ponds. After our noon lunch we tion which lriti:igued our interest. were forced to- use our snowshoeS. High on pinnacle Ridge, at night in Heney Souci of :fw{illinQc:ket, an em• the utter stillness of the South ploye of the Inland Fisheries and BJ'anclJ Ponds, we could hear a wat• Game Research Dept. at that time, was with me. I made extensive (6) "The :Deacl-Water Moun· photographs of the trip •• tain~~, The Maine Na,urallst," Dr. Lor~ A. Rogers, the source t930f •4 n. ao. 1, ...,. ll-tt. of mucll ot the histocy of the Was- AT THE OUTLET OF SOUTH BRANCH PONDS-Here are the remains of an old lumbermen's dam. ';rhese ponds have a spectacular setting between The Traveler and South Branch Moun­ tains. Here. are shown a part of the North and Center Ridges. Photo from National Park Ser­ vice colle(}tion. •atlftU"M;k, particularly the Ayer and -~ .b8d sol'Ved f4e p~ .C:"' Roge·rs 'operations in the nineties, crets of Scilth Branch.Ponds to the has · .supplemented this record by extent that he returned time and calling attention to the fact that time '-!.@tn. A;yer .and Rogers had a camp in ~pproa.Jb Is Slmpllfte4 1896. and sluiced logs o:f:f _the east sidt O:f llogy Mountain. Their route, a '.roday the story is quite other­ tote'road, led :from the Old City wise. The inaccessibility of The Ca~ground up Pogy Brook. Dr. Trareler is regrettably a thing of Roi'E!rs' aelight:ful reminiscences ot the, past. An automobile road, built lumbering <>perations in their idea, in 1944, from the west shore of Mata­ were published in the December gamon Lake up Trout Brook, now 1938 issue of "Appalachia" (P. 214). places parties only three miles from The subsequent trend of travel to 'rhe Traveler, at our tl927 campsite the region and the reports of explor­ at the "Crossing". N·o mountain, of ation have borne out our expecta­ its attractions, wilt_.1be so readily tions. Ten years after the initial accessible from an /automobile base. trip, I .came agai11 to The Traveler The tote-road to the ·state Camp and ~ountry with a party from the Na­ airplanes bringing· supplies to ex­ tional Park Service, appraising the tensive carr.ping parties at South region to determine its suitability Branch Ponds eliminate any .last for National Park purposes. The vestige of the impression that The experience af,orded an opt>Ortunity •rraveler is a mountain to be gained to measure trails and prepare only after a long journey of much guidebook data. However, the real toil. This new .road in Baxter State iontribution of thi;. 1937 "expedi­ Park-a land dedicated to freedom j:ion" is the incomparable and much­ Irom automobi'1e roads and lour1st publicized · National Park Service intrusion-is an unescapable ·f-ixture set of pictures of the Katahdin re­ for a quarter of a century. The re­ gion. The Appalachian Trai 1 Con­ viving automobile transportation at ference's 100-slide annotatea lec­ the end of the war poses increasing ture on the Katahdin area also con­ problems. The matter has serious tains full representation of The potentialities. Traveler region. .Come what may, from the dis­ As to the piscatorial . qualities of tance on "Matangamooksis", or as tl}e region. with the togue, land• one views the mountain from the l<;>cked salmon and s4uare-tails at swiftly flowing Penobscot East South Branch Ponds, we have al­ Branch, The Traveler will never fail ready too much publicized these else­ to Impress, as it h'as done during where.· We can find consolation for the last century, since the vision of our error in the little success of white ··men ·first was directed t~ casual fishermen. The•. plane wreck­ ward its shining surnmits. age on the shore of the lower Pol\d is the souvenir of o~ -tishen;aan

•

BIBLIOC.ttAP!il(

Allard, H. A. , and Leonard, E.

~'-- J

THE GRAND LAKE FIRE ROAD 'FROM fATTEN leads past the west shore of Grand Lake Mattagon at the base of the moun­ tain known as "Matagamon" or ''Hors·e" Mountain. _ According to L. L. Hubbard, famous author of the Maine Woods, it de­ rived its name from the rather contemptuous ·attitude of the In­ dians toward it, Photo from the collection of the National Park Serv~e.

See Opposite Pa2e ---

A, 1920 MAP 01' THE TRAV:ELER REGION-Reflecting the lumbering history of ~rhe Traivel.er area is this excerpt from a map ~urrent in 1920. 'l'herP. will be noted the lumber camp locationr at the 'Campsite" at the head of Upper South Branch Pond, together with a camp on the oanks of Howe's Brook. "The map is reproduced to. afford some future Traveler explorer an opportunity to see ff any tra·ce remains of these: The new State Camp is, of course, close t_o the site of the Robar 1Camp. I endeavored without success to locate the 'joy Tote.-road/" says Capt. Avery. The various excursions narrated in this article resulted in the portrayal of the region in the map in Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Main e. This was checked and further corrected by Baxter t;tate Park supervil'lor Harold J. Dyer. The 1945 Supplement to the Maine Guide reprolduces this as the most accurate large scale map of The Traveler. The Tr-aveler is in the southeast corner of Township 5 Range 9 West of the East Line of the State. This entire township is shown as is the northerly half of Township 4 Range 9. .

. =.....'